1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin processor for use with vending machines, money exchangers, service machines, etc., for separating inserted coins into genuine ones and false ones, accommodating the genuine coins in accordance with their denominations and paying out the accommodated coins as change.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, vending machines, money exchangers, service machines, etc., are provided with a coin processor for discriminating whether inserted coins are genuine or false, accommodating the genuine coins in accordance with their denominations and paying out the accommodated coins as change.
The coin processor is provided with a coin selecting section for separating inserted coins into genuine ones and false ones and further separating the genuine coins in accordance with their denominations. The coin selecting section is provided with complicated coin passageways for classifying the inserted coins as genuine ones or false ones and further separating the genuine coins in accordance with their denominations. The coin selecting section is also provided, on a part of the complicated coin passageway, with a selecting device comprised of a coil sensor having, for example, an oscillating coil and a receiving coil for discriminating whether inserted coins are Genuine or false and determining denominations of the Genuine coins, and a plurality of levers for Guiding the inserted coins to predetermined coin passageways. The selecting device is arranged to separate, while the coins are rolling respectively along the predetermined coin passageways, the inserted coins into the genuine ones and the false ones, to classify the Genuine coins in accordance with their denominations and to Guide the false ones into a predetermined passage and the Genuine coins into predetermined passageways each provided for each of the denominations.
The Genuine coins which have passed through the predetermined passageways are accommodated in accordance with their denominations in a coin accommodating section comprised of coin tubes disposed at a lower portion of the coin processor and, when the denominations of change are specified, the coins in the coin accommodating section are selected in accordance with an amount of the change and paid out downward out of the coin processor.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the essential portion of an illustrative coin payment section 1 of the coin processor. The coin payment section 1 includes a bottom base 3 having a hole 2 provided for passing a coin therethrough, a payment plate 5 having a hole 4 corresponding in size to the hole 2 in the base 3 and being slidable back and forth (right and left directions in FIG. 5) on the bottom base 3, a coin tube 6 for accommodating the selected coins, a lever 7 for sliding the plate 5 back and forth, and a solenoid 9 having a lever drive shaft 8 for driving the lever 7.
FIG. 5 shows the solenoid 9 in a deenergized state in which the plate 5 is positioned at a backward position (at a right-hand position in FIG. 5). When the solenoid 9 is energized, the lever drive shaft 8 is drawn into the solenoid 9 to thereby turns the lever 7 in the clockwise direction around a shaft 10 and hence the plate 5 slides forward (in FIG. 5, leftward). When the solenoid 9 is deenergized, the lever drive shaft 8 is released from its drawn state to thereby turns the lever 7 in the counterclockwise direction around the shaft 10 and hence the plate 5 returns back to its original position.
FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d) are cross-sectional views of the essential portion of the coin payment section 1. FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d) show the respective operations of the coin payment section 1. FIG. 6(a) shows the coin payment section in a standby mode, where the coins within the coin tube 6 are placed on a predetermined position at an end of the plate 5. When the solenoid 9 is energized to turn the lever 7 clockwise as shown in FIG. 6(b), the plate 5 starts to slide in the forward direction. When the plate 5 moves to a predetermined forward position, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the lower open end of the coin tube 6 coincides with the hole 4 in the plate 5. Thus, the lowermost one of the coins accommodated in the coin tube 6 falls into the hole 4 in the plate 5. Thereafter, when the solenoid 9 is deenergized and thus the plate 5 slides in the backward direction to return to its original position, as shown in FIG. 6(d), the hole 4 in the plate 5 coincides with the hole 2 in the bottom base 3 and the coin in the hole 4 in the plate 5 is paid out downwardly. At this time, the coins remaining within the coin tube 6 are again placed on the predetermined position at the end of the plate 5, as shown in FIG. 6(a). Thereafter, similar operations are iterated to pay out a required number of coins.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a conventional processing for coin payment operations. Now, payment of 25-cent coins will be described as a typical example. In the following description, T1 represents a time for which duration the solenoid is deenergized (the waiting time of the plate 5 at the backward position) while T2 represents a time for which duration the solenoid is energized (the waiting time of the plate 5 at the forward position), and a time taken for the plate 5 to slide to the predetermined forward or backward position is not included.
First, it is determined at step 101 whether 25-cent coins are to be paid out. If YES, it is determined at step 102 whether the time T1 has passed by referring to a timer T1. If the T1 has not passed, it means that coins are being paid out and thus the operation waits for the time T1. If the time T1 has passed, a solenoid for 25-cent coins is energized at step 103 and it is determined at step 104 whether the time T2 has passed by referring to a T2 timer. During the time T2, one coin is taken from the coin tube. When the time T2 has passed at step 104, the 25-cent coin solenoid is deenergized at step 105. By these operations, one coin is paid out. When coins are to be successively paid out, control returns to step 101 where the appropriate solenoid starts to be operated after the passage of the time T1. Thereafter, similarly, processing at steps 101-105 is iterated until all the change is paid out. Also, for 5- or 10-cent coins, the processing at steps 106-110 or 111-115 is performed as required.
As described above, the movement of the plate 5 for payment of the coins is determined depending on the timing of energization/deenergization of the solenoid 9. In the conventional coin processor, the times T1 and T2 are constant at all times irrespective of the number of coins stored in the coin tube.
As shown in FIG. 8, when the number of coins stored in the coin tube 6 decreases, a coin can jump up due to the reaction of the backward movement of the plate 5. If the next payment is performed before the jumped-up coin returns to the predetermined position at the end of the plate 5, no coin would fall into the hole in the plate 5 and normal payment of the coin would not be made disadvantageously. In this case, if the times T1 and T2 are set slightly longer than the conventional set times, the problem would be solved, but the payment speed would be slowed down. Thus, the time taken for the normal payment of coins would become longer accordingly.